Blue Heron Boat Ride

2018 Grandma Camp just keeps marching on...

The wonderful Eco Tourism has great programs and activities -- most of them totally FREE.

Every week, they offer FREE boat rides on the Mississippi River.

The pontoon boat seats 24 people.

My brother Cal and his wife Jeanne joined us.

The boat ride takes about an hour and a half.

Captain Mark pulled away from the dock and we were MOVING FAST up the channel and out into the main river.

Lilly has been on this boat before -- and Captain Mark let her take the wheel.

Of course, Warren has to do EVERYTHING LILLY DOES.  He actually got to drive for a long time.

Lilly got another turn -- and she and Captain Mark were goofing around.

Captain Mark has been doing tours on this stretch of the Mississippi for about 20 years. He took us to the exact spot where the Bald Eagles nest, and we also saw the last remaining cabin on an island.   There are three commercial enterprises -- a nuclear power plant, a sand pit, and a fertilizer plant...barges pull up to move things down the river. It's a busy place, with lots to see....

Lilly settled in, like she was driving that boat to New Orleans...

I felt like Captain Mark knew every inch of his stretch of the Mississippi. (that's the Cordova nuclear power plant)

Considering it was the middle of summer, the weather was cool, and the sky was overcast. Lilly and Warren had swimming class in the morning, and it had been a long day. We all became mesmerized by the rhythm of the boat, cruising on the water...

Lilly fell asleep...I'm not kidding...

Yep. Grandma Camp will WEAR YOU OUT...